Knottingley glass firm launches legal battle

BOSSES at a Knottingley glass factory have started legal action to stop production at an illegally-built rival plant that has put hundreds of West Yorkshire jobs in jeopardy.

The YEP has learned that Knottingley´s Ardagh Glass – formerly Rockware – are set for a High Court battle with Chester City Council next month in a bid to stop the authority granting planning permission to their bitter rival Quinn Glass and force them to take action against the plant.

The council were set to decide on a planning application for Quinn´s huge plant at Elton, Chester today which has been operating without planning permission for over three years.

But enquiries by the YEP revealed that the application was no longer on the agenda.

And a spokesman for Chester City Council said: "We have been put on notice of a legal challenge in the High Court by Ardagh Glass seeking an order to prevent the city council from granting planning permission or resolving to grant planning permission to Quinn Glass and requiring the council to serve an enforcement notice to close the site.

"The city council is contesting this challenge in the High Court and a hearing is likely to take place in early March 2009."

Bosses at Ardagh say the plant, which is Europe´s biggest, represents unfair competition as it is operating without consent.

They fear that if the plant is allowed to stay open in its present form it could put up to 1,000 local jobs at risk.

A previous high court battle between the two firms already saw three top judges agree the plant had been built illegally.

And despite a ruling by Secretary of State Ruth Kelly that planning permission should not be granted following a public inquiry, the Chester plant has been allowed to continue operating.